Into the Wind
by EyeoftheCobra
Summary: Sequel to Smoke. Three months after the fire, Pedro is still grieving over Nico. But when an unforseen accident causes Pedro to perish, he gets to see Nico again. Only there's one TINY problem: It's not Pedro's time yet! Can Nico convince Pedro to move on and live? Or will Pedro throw away his life in order to stay with his best friend? SONG LYRICS REMOVED AND PLACED ON PROFILE.
1. Into the Wind

**UPDATE: HEY, GUYS. IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY NOTICED, A GOOD THIRD OF MY STORIES WERE DELETED BY SOME JERK SEVERAL DAYS AGO, INCLUDING THIS ONE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE ANY PROHIBITED CONTENT FROM ALL THE DELETED STORIES AND REPOST THEM. THE SONG LYRICS TO THIS STORY (THE REASON THIS WAS ORIGINALLY REMOVED) WILL NOW BE LOCATED ON MY PROFILE TO AVOID ANY MORE FANFICS BEING DELETED. THIS IS FOLLOWING THE RULES. EVERY TIME YOU SEE -0-0- DURING A MUSICAL NUMBER IN THIS STORY, THAT REPRESENTS THE REMOVED SONG LYRICS. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE LYRICS NOT BEING IN THE STORY. IF YOU'RE TOO LAZY TO VIEW THEM IN MY PROFILE, THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM! THANK YOU!**

**This lil' fanfic is my response to all the reviews requesting a sequel to my previous Rio oneshot "Smoke". I seriously doubt this will be half as good as "Smoke", but I'll try my best. Although, I can't help but notice that all my depressing stories seem to revolve around death. *Chuckles nervously* Hmm…**_**anyway, **_**those of you who **_**don't **_**assume that I'm a death-obsessed and/or deranged freak, please read on. I hope this is a satisfactory reply to all of your requests. Oh, before I forget, I should mention that I don't usually title my chapters, so don't be surprised if they aren't great. Either way, enjoy! =)**

**Special thanks to Mastfic, who was kind enough to take the time to critic this chapter! =)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN RIO! (Darn you lawyers!)**

* * *

Chapter 1: Into the Wind

Pedro frantically flew towards the new samba club. His grey and red feathers were ruffled, and his brown eyes were wide in panic. The sun was bright and shining above him, but the cardinal didn't notice.

As he effortlessly navigated through the thick trees and foliage, Pedro panted to himself, "Oh, I am so late! Ralfy's gonna _kill _me!"

About two minutes later, Pedro finally arrived at his destination. Sighing in relief, the cardinal landed and tried to tiptoe inside the colorful tent unnoticed, but unfortunately his efforts were in vain.

"Pedro!"

The said cardinal winced at the sound of his name and the unmistakable tapping of a foot. He turned around and grinned sheepishly at the toucan standing behind him. "H-Hey, Ralfy." He stuttered, attempting to delay the inevitable chiding. "When did you get here? I didn't see you there…"

Rafael's answer was plain and simple. "You're late."

Pedro dropped his head in shame and dismay as his senior continued to scold him. "How could you be late on a day like this? On the first morning this samba club's officially in business, too!"

"Sorry, Ralfy, I just got sidetracked, and.."

At the last second, Rafael's face transformed from a scowl into his trademark smile and he said, "Never mind! Point is, you're here. Now let's go watch the opening performances!"

Pedro smiled back and gave the new samba club's interior an appreciative glance. The club closely resembled the Branch, only with a vivid yellow waterproof tarp covering it and colorful Christmas lights strung across the walls. It was actually quite attractive.

Pedro then frowned when he remembered _why _they had built a new samba club. Three months ago, a fire had swept through the (former) Rio rainforest, devastating everything in its path. All the surviving animals had moved to the neighboring rainforest and made a home there. In Pedro's opinion, one of the two things missing was a great samba club. The other was Nico.

Many of the rainforest's local fauna had been killed by the fire, the majority being birds. And Nico had been one of those birds. His mind flashed back to the memory of just a few hours after the fire had ceased. Frankly, it wasn't a pleasant one…

_:Flashback:_

_Pedro paced back and forth, worry showing on all his features. Rafael and Eva and Blu and Jewel's kids looked on curiously. Since he had injured a wing in his attempt to locate Nico in that huge fire, Pedro had been left behind with the kids while the rest of the gang flew out to search for the missing canary. _

_Suddenly, the sound of wings flapping and the children chirping joyfully reached his ears and he spun around with a relieved facial expression. "Oh good, you're back!" He smiled at his friends, but was only rewarded with the faces of grieving birds. _

_As he peered around at the pained faces of his closest pals, his smile turned into a frown. "What's wrong?" he asked Rafael, who had something in his wings. "Did you find him?"_

_Blu, Eva, and Jewel suddenly appeared very uncomfortable. Rafael, obviously flustered, replied, "W-Well, yes, but-"_

_Pedro grinned. "Then where is he? Is he alright?"_

_Pedro's expression went from relieved to alarmed when Blu answered, "No, not really.."_

"_What's the matter? Is he hurt? What happened?"_

_Rafael sighed, his eyes full of sorrow. "Why don't you just see for yourself?" _

_The toucan gently removed one ebony wing from over the object he had been holding. Pedro gasped in horror when he recognized the limp form. Nico! The canary was missing his trademark bottle cap, and his body was covered in several burns. His normally bright yellow feathers were pale, and his chocolaty brown eyes closed. Pedro could tell by just a glance that there was something seriously wrong with his best friend. _

"_N-Nico…?" he asked, cautiously stepping towards the lifeless canary. _

"_It's useless, Pedro." The cardinal glanced up at the speaker (Rafael) with tears in his eyes. _

"_W-What do you mean?" The cardinal asked, fear gripping at his heart. "He's just unconscious…right?" He peered around at the silent group of birds. "Right…?"_

_Rafael glanced down, and Pedro could faintly see a tear running down the side of the toucan's face. Jewel walked over to Pedro and gently placed a wing on his shoulder. _

"_Pedro…" she started, speaking softly as if she were trying to calm an upset child. "I'm sorry, but…he's gone."_

_:Flashback end:_

Pedro hadn't realized that he was silently crying until he felt Rafael's wing on his shoulder.

The toucan asked, "What's wrong, _amigo_? Don't you like the decorations?"

"I love 'em, it's just that…" Pedro spun around to face the older bird. "Oh, Rafael, I miss him so much!"

Rafael stared sadly and Pedro, then gently took the cardinal into his wings. He tenderly patted the round bird's back until he ceased quietly sobbing.

"There, there. It'll be alright, _amigo_, you just wait."

Pedro looked up at the toucan with a mixture of sorrow and loss in his eyes. "But how can I wait when it's not alright?"

Rafael frowned for a moment and looked Pedro in the eye while saying, "Pedro, it wasn't and isn't your fault. The flames were too high. _No_ one could have gotten to him in time."

"You know that's not true…I was stupid enough not to look behind me and make sure he was still following…because of me, my best friend's gone!"

"Pedro.." Rafael murmured wearily. An awkward silence came, and neither fowl could muster up the courage to look at the other.

After a full minute of dead silence between them, Rafael decided to switch to a brighter subject. "So, did you and those other birds choose the name for this club?"

"Yeah."

"So, what'd you select?"

"Not that you don't know the reason already, but I'd like to tell you the backstory…"

_:Flashback:_

_Pedro, Ricardo (the former owner of the Branch), Kipo, and two more birds that had been regular performers at the Branch were deciding on the name for the new samba club. _

"_Okay, folks." Said Ricardo, a military macaw. "The new name has to be catchy, but still has to make sense. Any ideas?" _

"_Why can't we just use Branch again?" inquired Peter. He was a woodpecker who had moved from the United States last summer. He had a marvelous singing voice, but wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch. _

"_This is a whole new samba club." Explained Ricardo. "Like a blank pallet. It represents a fresh start."_

"_What about the Lagoon?" suggested Julia, a gorgeous young scarlet macaw. _

"_No," Replied Ricardo. "That's taken. Besides, we aren't even _near _a lagoon." _

_Just then, Pedro piped up. "I think I might have an idea."_

_The four other birds glanced at him. The cardinal continued. "Do ya'll remember Nico?"_

"_Of course!" answered Peter. "He was the singer killed in the fire, right?" When Ricardo, Julia, and Kipo scowled at him for his bluntness, the woodpecker said, "What?"_

"_Well, yeah, but he was my partner and best friend." Pedro peered around at the group surrounding him. "He was also the best singer I ever knew."_

_Ricardo cocked his head. "Pedro, I don't mean to be rude, but where are you going with this?"_

"_Which performer at the Branch loved samba best?"_

"_Un-doubtfully Nico." Ricardo replied without hesitation._

_Pedro turned to Peter. "What does that yellow tarp covering the club remind you of?"_

"_Bananas!" When everyone looked at him funny, Peter said "Sorry, I'm hungry."_

"_Anyway, it's yellow. Just like Nico." Lastly, Pedro turned to Julia. "And what are canaries?"_

_Julia replied, "They're song birds, aren't they?"_

_The other birds started to grin after connecting the dots. "Thing is," Pedro admitted, "I can't think up a name to match it."_

_Then, as if the other four birds became one mind, they all shouted, "The Canary Corner!" _

_:Flashback end: _

"Wow! That's amazing!" exclaimed a tiny voice. "This new club's really dedicated to Uncle Nico?"

Pedro glanced down in surprise. The speaker was none other than Abelina, Blu and Jewel's daughter.

"Hey, Mini Macaw! When did you get here?"

Abelina giggled as Blu and Jewel came up with her two brothers, Julio and Adam.

"Heh, sorry." Chuckled Rafael. "They arrived while you were telling that story. You were so into it, I didn't want to disturb you."

Pedro shrugged. "S'okay." He turned to Blu and Jewel. "So what brought you to the Canary Corner?"

Jewel replied, "We decided we needed to get out a little bit." She gestured around the Canary Corner with her wing. "And what better time to check out the new samba club? I heard it's even more family-friendly than the Branch."

Pedro grinned childishly and answered, "On that you are correct, baby bird! Absolutely no inappropriate songs!" He gently messed the feathers on Julio's head. "Therefore, it's kid-friendly, but still awesome!" After a second, he added, "Just like a certain yellow canary."

The three little Blue Spix macaws hopped up and down around Pedro. "Uncle Pedro! Uncle Pedro!" they shouted.

The said cardinal turned away from Jewel. "What? What's wrong?"

"Will you rap for us?"

"Aw, gee, I don't know…I haven't practiced in a while…"

Jewel lightly nudged the cardinal. "Oh come on, Pedro. You should start rapping again."

"Oh, okay. I'll think of something."

Pedro sauntered over to the dance floor with the three small macaws. Taking a deep breath, he started to rap a song he and Nico had performed at the Branch just a few days before the fire:

_**-0-0-**_

Pedro mentally frowned, but didn't quit rapping.

_**-0-0-**_

The Mini Macaws were dancing away. Pedro didn't want to stop, but it just sounded so…_empty_…without Nico singing along.

_**-0-0-**_

Julio, Abelina, and Adam ceased dancing. They looked up at their Uncle Pedro in confusion as the older bird started to get quieter and trail off. The cardinal had a slight frown on his face, and a distant look in his eyes.

_**-0-0-**_

After that verse, the cardinal fell silent. He then shook his head and said, "This isn't working."

Abelina toddled over. "What isn't working, Uncle Pedro?" she inquired.

"Everything." Pedro peered apologetically at the three little birds. "Sorry, Mini Macaws, I'm just not feelin' it anymore…"

The grey and red bird walked over to where Rafael was chatting with Blu and Jewel. "Hey, Ralfy?"

The toucan glanced over at him. "_Si_?"

"I'm going home. The Mini Macaws are over on the dance floor."

Rafael crossed his wings and frowned. "So soon? Are you feeling alright, _passaro_?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You don't seem fine." Blu replied.

"I-I just want to go home!"

With that, the cardinal took flight and zipped out of the Canary Corner. In truth, he wasn't fine. Rapping, visiting samba clubs, dancing…it all just didn't seem worth it without his favorite canary by his side. There were just too many memories in all those places. He needed to be alone.

The cardinal zipped through the air towards his hollow. Tears started to fall from his black eyes, but thankfully the wind dried them. Pedro didn't want anyone to see him like this.

Pedro was nearly home when it happened. One moment he was in the air above a road, the next a large object charged into him with tremendous speed. Pain ripped through Pedro's round body. The last thing he recalled was tumbling to the ground and everything going dark…

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! Oh no, will Pedro be okay? Don't worry, this is just the beginning of the story! And yes, the story WILL get happier. I'm not one for fully depressing stories (unless you count "Smoke"). I'm a huge fan of happy endings, no matter how cliché they are! Once again, the lyrics to the song for this story can be found on my profile (which IS following the rules)! Great song. It just came out on itunes. Please R&R! Bye for now! Stay tuned for chapter two! =)**

**I REPEAT: IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY NOTICED, A GOOD THIRD OF MY STORIES WERE DELETED BY SOME JERK SEVERAL DAYS AGO, INCLUDING THIS ONE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE ANY PROHIBITED CONTENT FROM ALL THE DELETED STORIES AND REPOST THEM. THE SONG LYRICS TO THIS STORY (THE REASON THIS WAS ORIGINALLY REMOVED) WILL NOW BE LOCATED ON MY PROFILE TO AVOID ANY MORE FANFICS BEING DELETED. THIS IS FOLLOWING THE RULES. EVERY TIME YOU SEE -0-0- DURING A MUSICAL NUMBER IN THIS STORY, THAT REPRESENTS THE REMOVED SONG LYRICS. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE LYRICS NOT BEING IN THE STORY. IF YOU'RE TOO LAZY TO VIEW THEM IN MY PROFILE, THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM! THANK YOU!**


	2. Reunited

**UPDATE: IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY NOTICED, A GOOD THIRD OF MY STORIES WERE DELETED BY SOME JERK SEVERAL DAYS AGO, INCLUDING THIS ONE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE ANY PROHIBITED CONTENT FROM ALL THE DELETED STORIES AND REPOST THEM. THE SONG LYRICS TO THIS STORY (THE REASON THIS WAS ORIGINALLY REMOVED) WILL NOW BE LOCATED ON MY PROFILE TO AVOID ANY MORE FANFICS BEING DELETED. THIS IS FOLLOWING THE RULES. EVERY TIME YOU SEE -0-0- DURING A MUSICAL NUMBER IN THIS STORY, THAT REPRESENTS THE REMOVED SONG LYRICS. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE LYRICS NOT BEING IN THE STORY. IF YOU'RE TOO LAZY TO VIEW THEM IN MY PROFILE, THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM! THANK YOU!**

**I'm sorry it took me so long to update. My family and I were moving, but I know I should've had this chapter up sooner, so that's really not an excuse. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and waited. Also, to clear up any confusion, Canary Corner IS part of the title of another Rio story, but that's not where I got the name. I was thinking up names for the samba club, and Canary Corner was just the best thing that came to mind. I assure you, them sharing a name was purely a coincidence. Thank you!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rio. The OC Jake (aka 'Grandpa Ninja') is the property of Mastfic. **

* * *

Chapter 2: Reunited

"_Pedro…"_

The said cardinal groaned and stirred at the sound of his name.

"_Pedro..."_

The voice sounded like it was coming from far away, sort of like an echo…

"_Pedro…c'mon, man, wake up…"_

Whoever was speaking to him, they sounded awfully familiar…sort of like…no…it couldn't possibly be him…

"_Please wake up."_

…He was dead…

"_Would you just WAKE UP!"_

The sudden shout snapped Pedro out of his half-unconscious state. The cardinal shot up from his spot on the ground. Unfortunately, in the process he ended up whacking his head against that of the voice's owner, who had been looking down over him. After a loud _SMACK _and a rush of pain, Pedro clutched his aching head in his wings for a few moments before hesitantly removing them to eye the owner of the voice. Pedro froze when he realized who it was.

Next to him sat a certain yellow canary, who was rubbing his temples with his wings due to the previous impact. His blue and green bottle cap was slanting over his face, shielding his eyes from view. When the slightly smaller fowl ceased attempting to soothe the head pain, he removed his wings from his noggin and pushed his bottle cap up with one wing tip, revealing chocolaty brown eyes. Those eyes landed on Pedro, and the canary grinned.

"Oh, good, I thought you'd never wake up."

"N…N…"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Pedro? You okay?"

"N…"

The smaller bird stood up and strolled over. "C'mon, spit it out."

"_NICO!" _The said canary laughed in joy when Pedro unceremoniously glomped him and they both fell to the ground.

"Ohmygoshyou'realivewherewereyouIthoughty ouweredeadI-"

Nico laughed and silenced the cardinal. "Whoa, whoa, slow down! You know I can't understand you when you're speaking so fast!" The canary stood up from under his friend and bent down to grab his bottle cap, which had fallen in their previous 'struggle'.

Pedro grinned and replied, "Sorry! It's just that…dude, where _were _you? I thought you were _dead!_"

Nico suddenly paused, his wings clutching his bottle cap hovering just millimeters from his head. He brought the metal item back down again and fingered it.

"Yeah…'bout that…"

A look of confusion crossed Pedro's face and the cardinal frowned at his friend. "What?"

"I _am_ dead…and you kinda are, too…Pedro?" Nico peered down at his now unconscious friend.

"Oh, man." He said to himself. "This is going to take a while."

* * *

An hour (and one long explanation) later, Pedro was sitting on a small rock and staring thoughtfully at Nico. "So…I got hit by a car, and now I'm dead."

"Yep."

"And you're a ghost that returned to the living world to come get _me._"

The canary shook his head. "Not quite. The last part I mean. I'm here to tell you that you're not _supposed _to be dead."

"Not _supposed_?"

"Yeah. There's this universal rule that you're supposed to be born and die a certain way at a certain time. If that rule is violated, someone already dead has to come down here and fix that."

"And in this case, that someone would be you."

Nico nodded. "_Correcto!_" He gestured to the road where is body used to be. "Luckily, with a cast and some stitches your body should be fine. Rafael found it and brought it to the Sanctuary. Now, you'd better get over there before-"

"What if I don't want to live anymore?"

At that the canary froze, and his bottle cap flopped into his face. He pushed it back up and stared at Pedro as if the cardinal had sprouted rabbit ears and started dancing ballet. "You? Not want to live?" He blinked before saying "…You?"

Pedro shrugged and stood up. "Yeah. I mean, I don't have any living relatives, and the Canary Corner has other good singers, so can't I go, y'know, over _there _with you?"

Nico scowled. "Dude, don't take this so lightly. You only have one life – once it's gone, there's no way to get it back again."

"Then how come _I _can still live?"

The canary sighed and shook his head. "That's different. It isn't your time yet." He held up one wing tip to silence the question Pedro was about to ask. "And don't ask me how I know that. It's complicated. Anyway, your body isn't totally ruined. Once it's healed, your soul can continue to live in it." Nico cut off the cardinal's eminent protest. "Now hold your horses! I'm not finished yet! _I _couldn't keep living because A, it was my time, and B, my lungs were too damaged. I died of smoke inhalation, remember?"

Pedro nodded. He remembered when Blu had checked Nico's body over and announced that smoke inhalation had stolen his best friend's life. He lightly shivered at the memory.

"Anyway, you really should go back to your body. The last thing I want is for you to die young, too…"

To Nico's extreme dismay, Pedro only continued to shake his head. "Bird, I'm not about to lose you. Not again. If I went back to living, I'd never see you again." His friend was about to protest, but the cardinal cut him off.

Nico groaned and pulled his bottle cap over his eyes. This was hopeless, not to mention _not good_. He needed another way to convince Pedro he could live without Nico at his side. If 24 hours passed, and Pedro refused to return to his body, then the cardinal would be permanently dead. Just like Nico. Grandpa Ninja, a friend, would be here to escort him back to the hereafter in several hours. Pedro could _not _be with him when the old Blue Spix Macaw would arrive. As Nico mulled over his options in his head, Pedro continued.

"How big is the afterlife? Is it a rainforest? I'll bet they still have killer samba clubs and hot wings, right Nico? …Nico?"

The canary was snapped out of his thoughts. "Hm? Oh! What?"

"Nothing. You were just zoning out. Kinda like Adam."

At that name, an idea popped into the smaller bird's mind.

"Hey, Ped? Can I at least show you something before we leave for…y'know, _there?_" he asked. If words wouldn't convince Pedro to live, then maybe actions would.

The cardinal shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

The two spirit birds, one bright and one pale, leaped into the air and Pedro followed Nico to whatever the canary wanted to show him.

* * *

The duo landed, and Pedro peered around, bewildered. They were on the branch of a familiar tree surrounded by rainforest. "Nico?" He said. "This is Blu and Jewel's tree."

The canary grinned. "I know."

He led the cardinal down to the entrance of the tree. Inside, Blu, Jewel, and their three kids were standing together in a circle facing each other. Their expressions were sorrowful, and they were completely oblivious to the two pale birds perched on the entrance of their hollow.

"Hey, Nic? What's wrong with them?"

Nico held a wing tip up to his beak tip. "Shh! Just watch and listen!"

Abelina turned her head to look up at her parents. "Mommy, Daddy? Will Uncle Pedro be okay?"

Jewel shook her head sadly. "I wish I knew."

"I don't want this to be like Uncle Nico again!" Julio wailed.

A tear rolled down Adam's cheek, but otherwise the chick said nothing. Jewel and Blu looked at each other, then at their kids sadly. They obviously felt helpless to comfort their children. Nico heard a sniff and glanced at Pedro. He smiled sympathetically when he noticed the round fowl was crying.

"Gosh…I didn't realize they felt that way 'bout me…" Pedro said.

Nico nodded. "Yeah, they really care about you, bird." After a few moments, he added "Okay, let's go."

Pedro wiped his eyes, then cocked an eyebrow. "Go where?"

"You'll see."

* * *

Next, the two spirit birds landed on the branch of a tree with multiple openings in it. Like Blu and Jewel's tree, it was large with many neighboring trees and vegetation surrounding it. Baby toucans darted in and out of the openings. Ah, this was Rafael and Eva's home. Nico and Pedro, like at the previous home, perched on the rim of the main entrance. There, Rafael was pacing back and forth with a deep frown across his face. Eva stood a few feet away, looking concerned. If even Eva was upset, then it must have been serious.

"I just don't understand! Did he not notice he was flying at car level!?" Rafael ranted as he paced.

Eva piped up from her side. "Papa, Papa, calm down! He probably didn't notice!"

Ralfy shook his head. "I'm sorry, Eva, it's just that…he's young, you know? Too young to know how to properly deal with grief. How do we know that wasn't a suicide attempt?"

Nico sensed Pedro grow tense at the question.

"Papa! You know Pedro would never do that!"

"Yes, but this is Nico's death we're talking about. This isn't a normal circumstance!"

Pedro began to fidget, obviously uncomfortable with their conversation. "Can we leave now?" inquired Pedro.

Nico shook his head. "No. You've got to see this."

"Rafael! Don't say that! Have faith in Pedro!" Eva protested, her tough and stubborn self back again.

Ralfy sighed. "You are right, Mama." The middle-aged couple embraced, and Rafael continued. "I'm sorry. I'm just concerned about Pedro. What if we lose him, too?"

Eva nuzzled him, one of her rare displays of affection. "Don't worry, Papa. We won't."

Rafael sighed and closed his eyes. "How do we know that?"

Nico turned away from the spectacle and met eyes with his friend, his gaze soft. "Do you understand now?" he asked. "If you came with me, that would cause so many birds so much pain. You'd also be cheating yourself out of your own life. _Please _don't do that." Nico hated how whiny he sounded, but nether less, it was the truth he said.

Pedro looked at Nico, then at Rafael and Eva, then back again. He blinked a few times, opened his beak, then closed it. He looked back at Eva and Rafael. "It _would _cause them a lot of pain, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, it would."

* * *

A few minutes later, Nico and Pedro were both perched on a branch of a random tree at the edge of the rainforest. Pedro had a thoughtful look on his face, and Nico slightly worried. What if Pedro still chose to go with him?

"So Pedro,"

The cardinal perked up and glanced at Nico at the sound of his name. "Yeah?"

"What's your choice? Are you going to stay here or come with me?"

Pedro thought for a second before replying.

* * *

**End of chapter 2 out of 3! I know this was really bad, and I'm sorry. You guys deserve better for being such a great audience! The lyrics in the next chapter were taken out, but they were the lyrics to "Guardian Angel" by Tyler James Williams and Coco Jones. I highly suggest you listen to that song. It is absolutely **_**amazing. **_**My personal favorite song. Anyway, chapter three will be up very soon! In the meantime, please review and please excuse this crappy chapter! **

**I REPEAT: IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY NOTICED, A GOOD THIRD OF MY STORIES WERE DELETED BY SOME JERK SEVERAL DAYS AGO, INCLUDING THIS ONE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE ANY PROHIBITED CONTENT FROM ALL THE DELETED STORIES AND REPOST THEM. THE SONG LYRICS TO THIS STORY (THE REASON THIS WAS ORIGINALLY REMOVED) WILL NOW BE LOCATED ON MY PROFILE TO AVOID ANY MORE FANFICS BEING DELETED. THIS IS FOLLOWING THE RULES. EVERY TIME YOU SEE -0-0- DURING A MUSICAL NUMBER IN THIS STORY, THAT REPRESENTS THE REMOVED SONG LYRICS. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE LYRICS NOT BEING IN THE STORY. IF YOU'RE TOO LAZY TO VIEW THEM IN MY PROFILE, THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM! THANK YOU!**


	3. Guardian Angel

**UPDATE: IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY NOTICED, A GOOD THIRD OF MY STORIES WERE DELETED BY SOME JERK SEVERAL DAYS AGO, INCLUDING THIS ONE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE ANY PROHIBITED CONTENT FROM ALL THE DELETED STORIES AND REPOST THEM. THE SONG LYRICS TO THIS STORY (THE REASON THIS WAS ORIGINALLY REMOVED) WILL NOW BE LOCATED ON MY PROFILE TO AVOID ANY MORE FANFICS BEING DELETED. THIS IS FOLLOWING THE RULES. EVERY TIME YOU SEE -0-0- DURING A MUSICAL NUMBER IN THIS STORY, THAT REPRESENTS THE REMOVED SONG LYRICS. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE LYRICS NOT BEING IN THE STORY. IF YOU'RE TOO LAZY TO VIEW THEM IN MY PROFILE, THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM! THANK YOU!**

**Wooo! Last chapter of "Into the Wind"! Don't kill me! XD If ya'll have any story requests or anything else, PM me! Anyway, please R&R, but no flaming! Thank you! Enjoy! **

**P.S.: Oh, and if you happen to listen to the song, Pedro is rapping Tyler's part and Nico is singing Coco's part. Thank you! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rio. The OC Jake (aka 'Grandpa Ninja') is the property of Mastfic. The song lyrics for this story, which WAS going to be the song "Guardian Angel" by Tyler James Williams and Coco Jones, can be found on my profile. The symbol -0-0- represents the missing lyrics. **

* * *

Chapter 3: Guardian Angel

"I'll stay."

Shocked, Nico stared at his friend for several moments before happily squealing (!) and glomping Pedro.

The cardinal laughed happily before saying "Whoa, hey! Don't go all fangirl on me!"

Nico let go of the larger fowl and rubbed his neck with his left wing sheepishly. "Heh, sorry. I'm just happy."

"More like burst-your-friend's-eardrums sort of happy!"

The duo shared a good laughing session before calming down and grinning like idiots at each other.

Breaking the silence, Pedro asked "Nico?"

"Yeah, man?"

"Before you leave, can we sing another song together? Y'know, just like old times?"

"Sure! Which one?"

Pedro thought for a moment before replying, "I know! You'll recognize it!"

The cardinal jumped off the branch and gave his signature caw before twirling in the air and beginning.

_**-0-0-**_

Pedro was correct. Nico _did _recognize the song. Wasn't it the one that they had performed at the Branch about a week before the fire?

_**-0-0-**_

Not missing a beat, Nico joined in singing his part and dancing on the branch.

_**-0-0-**_

Pedro watched the canary in surprise, and almost stopped flapping his wings. Nico's voice was even more beautiful (if that was possible) than before. It was melodious and haunting (the kind of voice that you just couldn't ignore), yet smooth and sweet as honey. It had always been awesome before, but now it was just…_wow. _The yellow bird had hopped off his branch and was now doing little tricks in the air as he sang.

_**-0-0-**_

Pedro realized it was his turn and snapped out of his trance. He flew closer and joined Nico in creating loops in the air.

_**-0-0-**_

Nico joined in with a few of the lyrics.

_**-0-0-**_

To emphasize those last words, Nico and Pedro spread their wings as far as they would go and soared in the air. They twirled around each other in the air.

_**-0-0-**_

Swiftly, both birds did a hammerhead as the song jumped to Nico's part.

_**-0-0-**_

They chased each other around the trunk and weaved through the branches on the tree top. There were no other animals (alive or not) near them, which was odd, but Pedro was happy for that at the same time; this moment was solely for him and Nico.

_**-0-0-**_

The song went back to Pedro, and he rapped his part with clarity and enthusiasm that he hadn't had since three months ago. Nico twirled around him in the air and chimed in a few verses.

_**-0-0-**_

Pedro's heart was beating quickly, excited. It was just like old times. Before the he got hit with that car, before Nico's death…before the fire.

_**-0-0-**_

Pedro gleefully ended his part and listened happily while Nico sung the last few verses.

_**-0-0-**_

The canary did a little cartwheel in the air. How that was aerodynamically possible, Pedro would never know. Then again, Nico was a ghost. The laws of physics probably didn't apply to him.

_**-0-0-**_

Nico landed on the branch and removed his bottle cap. The small song bird held the beloved metal object in his wings as he sung out the last part.

_**-0-0-**_

Pedro landed next to the canary and listened as the now heavenly voice concluded their last song.

_**-0-0-**_

The last notes of the melody drifted through the air as if someone had drizzled it with honey.

Pedro breathed in and out. "_Wow._ You've gotten better."

Nico's chocolate brown eyes opened and he grinned at Pedro as he replaced his bottle cap. "Thanks. _You_ sound under practiced."

The cardinal glanced down at his feet and grinned sheepishly. "Yeah…I wasn't really in the mood to rap before…"

"Ah." Nico glanced in the direction of the bird sanctuary. "Well, we'd better get going. Your twenty-four hours is almost up."

* * *

Pedro peered up at the green and yellow bird sanctuary. Thankfully, it had been one of the few things spared of the fire's wrath. With a few repairs and a fresh coat of paint, the Blu Bird Sanctuary was good as new. The cardinal had heard that the humans that worked here were planning on building another sanctuary in the new rainforest. Pedro was glad for that. It just didn't look right for such a successful building to be out in the middle of miles of ruined trees and debris. That, and passing the very graveyard that was home to Nico's own grave would probably give any bird the heebie jeebies.

"Well, here we are." Nico stated, landing next to him. "Better get in there."

"Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you be there when I wake up…like, in my own body?"

Nico replied, "Yeah, sure. You'll be the only one that'll be able to see me, though."

Pedro shrugged, reassured. "That's okay, bird. So, I just step into my body?"

"Yep."

"Okay, here goes nothing."

Pedro flew through an open window in the sanctuary and peeked in every room he passed. Finally, he came across the right room. On a long white table inside a cage lied his body. Its chest and head was covered in bandages, but other than that it looked fine. The cardinal flitted over and cautiously pressed a foot to its abdomen. Pedro squeezed his eyes shut for a second. Would this hurt? What if he harmed his body further. The cardinal glanced down, and was pleased to find that this grey foot had phased right into it. Gently, Pedro put his other foot in and lied down. Within seconds he was put into a deep, dreamless sleep…

* * *

"_Is he awake?"_

"_I don't know! You check!"_

"_Shh! He's waking up!"_

"_Nrrghh…" _Pedro lightly groaned before raising his right wing to massage his temples. He had a whopper of a headache, and he couldn't remember where he was…

"Pedro? Are you feeling alright, _amigo_?"

That voice sounded familiar…Pedro's brown eyes fluttered before opening completely. Light poured in from a window right next to him, and his eyes shut again in pain. After letting his eyes adjust, Pedro opened his eyes again and this time it hurt a little bit less. Standing next to him was none other than Rafael, and behind him was Blu and Jewel. All three had worried facial expressions, but when they saw Pedro's eyes open, full blown smiles spread across their beaks.

"Pedro! Are you feeling okay? Do you need some water?" inquired Jewel as she and Blu walked closer. Oh, that was right. He was in the Blu Bird Sanctuary. But where was Nico?

"I'm fine, Jewel." He answered as he sat up. An immense amount of pain followed, but after a second it went away and Pedro could look around. Bandages surrounded his forehead and chest, and he was sitting in a nest in a small steel cage placed on top of a long white table. Around him were other colorful birds in cages. Most were either asleep or getting a drink of water, but a few were watching Blu, Jewel, Rafael and Pedro curiously. His favorite canary was nowhere in sight.

"Hey," Pedro said. "Where're the kids?"

"With Eva." Replied Blu.

"Although we'd better get over there before they kill each other." Added Jewel.

"Okeydokey! Bye, guys!" Pedro called.

Blu and Jewel offered their farewells before flying off the counter and out the open window next to Pedro's cage. Rafael was about to leave, too, but turned back.

"You're sure you're okay?" he asked.

"I told you, I'm fine." Reassured Pedro. After a second, he added, "Hey, you available in a week?"

Rafael cocked an eyebrow. "_Si. _Why?"

Pedro grinned childishly. "Do you want to head over to the Canary Corner with me and samba once I blow this joint?"

The toucan looked surprised for a second before a grin spread across his beak. "Of course! Glad to know you have your samba spirit back, _amigo_! But what made you change your mind?"

Pedro grinned wider. "A friend helped me." He replied.

Ralfy chuckled and shook his head, used to Pedro's strange answers. The toucan bid the cardinal farewell before flapping out the window and towards home. The round bird waved, then leaned back for a second to wait for Nico to follow through with his promise. Unfortunately, the tranquility was ruined when the cardinal felt something sharp digging into his back. Irritated, Pedro reached behind him with his right wing and pulled out the offending object. The grey and red fowl's eyes widened in surprise when he realized it was a bottle cap with a green background and wavy cerulean lines. A shiny silver trim rounded its bottom. The slightest of tinkling noises was heard and Pedro glanced up towards the open windowsill. He smiled when he saw the certain yellow canary casually leaning against the side without his trademark bottle cap on his head. Nico was grinning down at him, and he was almost translucent. Just as he promised, no one but Pedro noticed him.

When Pedro held up his bottle cap and pointed to it, the canary shook his head, soundlessly mouthed _keep it _and winked. Pedro smiled, mouthed _thanks _back and delicately fingered the blue and green design on the bottle cap. When the cardinal glanced back up, his eyes met Nico's chocolate brown ones, and they shared one last grin before the canary silently faded away to…well, wherever ghosts went when they vanished.

Pedro looked back down at Nico's old bottle cap. He flipped it around a few times in his wings before setting it in the nest next to him. Once again, he leaned back and gazed contentedly at the ceiling of his cage. Both he and Nico were right where they were supposed to be. He was here with his friends, and Nico was likely kicking it in Heaven. Everything was alright, and this time Pedro really meant it. The cardinal closed his eyes and fell into his first peaceful rest in a long time.

* * *

Nico sighed as he watched his last sunset in Rio. Once Jake showed up, he and the old macaw would have to return _there. _It's wasn't that Nico didn't like the afterlife – like Pedro had said, there _were _lots of hot wings and killer samba clubs. The canary would just miss his friends and family _here. _Nico heard the sound of wings flapping and the light _thump _of a bird perching next to him.

"Hey, Grandpa Ninja." He greeted half-heartedly.

The ancient Blue Spix Macaw simply grunted in response. Jake, or better known as 'Grandpa Ninja' by most of the younger birds, had been born in 1500 in Russia. There, he had trained as a warrior all his life. Later, in 1586, the macaw had died protecting a friend from an enemy. Jake was tall and brawny, with deep brown eyes and grey, decrepit-looking feathers (although if you peeked underneath them, the feathers were blue). All of the younger birds, including Nico, looked up to Jake for his strength and bravery.

The old bird frowned at Nico before saying in his deep Russian accent, "You stare with longing at your former home. You will miss it, no?"

"Yeah." Nico turned and looked up at the Russian macaw. "I will."

Jake nodded before replying, "I also missed my home in Russia when I perished. It took me many years to dull the heartache of leaving behind my family and comrades. But alas, it must be done." He turned back towards the beautiful sunset. "But, fortunately, wounded souls mend, and after a few moons we all move on. Your comrades will be fine."

The young canary nodded. "I know. But that doesn't mean I won't miss everyone."

At that, Jake just grunted and agreed. "Indeed."

Once the sun had completely vanished behind the ocean and trees, the ancient Blue Spix Macaw placed a wing over Nico's back. "Come, child." He stated. "We both have duties to attend to elsewhere."

Nico grinned. "Yeah. C'mon, Gramps…let's go home."

The older fowl offered one of his rare smiles as both birds rose into the air and flew upwards towards the whitish hue of the rising moon. Suddenly, Jake looked at Nico in surprise when the canary began to whistle and sing a quiet melody. The feeling passed, however, and Jake smiled again when he realized Nico was saying goodbye in his own unique way.

_-0-0-_

* * *

**The end! And...oh, gosh...I'm so sorry, guys, this flowed so much better when it did have the lyrics! D: That last -0-0- represented the last few verses of "Fly Love". Don't know why I added them. Guess I just figured it would make a nice ending. :/ And I'm sorry for Jake's terrible Russian accent – I don't hear them very often, so I can't write them very well! Anyway, please review and tell me what you think! EyeoftheCobra out! **

**I REPEAT: IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY NOTICED, A GOOD THIRD OF MY STORIES WERE DELETED BY SOME JERK SEVERAL DAYS AGO, INCLUDING THIS ONE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE ANY PROHIBITED CONTENT FROM ALL THE DELETED STORIES AND REPOST THEM. THE SONG LYRICS TO THIS STORY (THE REASON THIS WAS ORIGINALLY REMOVED) WILL NOW BE LOCATED ON MY PROFILE TO AVOID ANY MORE FANFICS BEING DELETED. THIS IS FOLLOWING THE RULES. EVERY TIME YOU SEE -0-0- DURING A MUSICAL NUMBER IN THIS STORY, THAT REPRESENTS THE REMOVED SONG LYRICS. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE LYRICS NOT BEING IN THE STORY. IF YOU'RE TOO LAZY TO VIEW THEM IN MY PROFILE, THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM! THANK YOU!**


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